Here we are again, another Thanksgiving season – this is my 61st year celebrating this holiday. Every year, at this season, I like to address the topic of being thankful. No need to break the string now! The character trait of being thankful is right to have because it strikes at one of the key elements necessary for success in the human person, attitude.
[Tweet “A thankful attitude can be taught which means you can school yourself into having one.”]
Jesus said concerning His Second Coming that no man, no angel, not even Jesus Himself knows the day or the hour of His return. Only the Father God knows it. But, one thing Jesus did tell us was that His coming would be like the days of Noah. What did Jesus mean by that? What were the days of Noah like? That’s what we are going to take a look at in this weeks Light on Life.
[Tweet “The Flood came suddenly to an unprepared people.”]
In Greek the word for “Word” as in John 1:1, is logos. It appears in many places, but of special interest is how Logos ties to Jesus. In John 1:1 it says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” The Word is divine and the word “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). In other words, Jesus is the Word of God who represents God to us and us to God. The term is also used to describe the Scriptures (Rom. 9:6; Heb. 4:12), Christ’s teaching (Luke 5:1), and the gospel message (Acts 4:31). In today’s blog, we begin a series on the Gospel of John by first looking at the concept of Jesus as the Logos of God.
One Necessary Component You Need for Spiritual Growth in God
[Tweet “Jesus as Logos is understood as God’s ultimate communication of truth about Himself.”]
The disciples asked Jesus about the end of the world in Matthew twenty-four. In the last podcast, we’ve looked at the Tribulation timeline up to and including the Battle of Armageddon. Right on the tail end of these comments, Jesus instructs His disciples to look at the fig tree and to learn it’s lesson. When it puts out leaves, you know that summer is near. What did He mean by that? Should we know about the fig tree as a symbol for Israel? What is the lesson we are to learn? That’s what we are going to take a look at in this week’s Light on Life.
[Tweet “Like the fig tree, believers are supposed to bear fruit. It’s the expected thing.”]
Hebrew 2:9 encourages us to see Jesus who was made lower than the angels so that He could suffer death for every man. But not only can you see Jesus in the pages of the New Testament. You can see Him in the pages of the Old. You can see Him in the prophetic scriptures themselves.
[Tweet “Your empty ‘sin’ record is saturated with His Blood.”]
At ten o’clock in the morning of May 19, 1780, people in the Eastern Seaboard noticed a strange haze spreading across the sky. Then a thick darkness settled over the eastern part of the US. By noon, schools were dismissed, candles lit, and torches set in the streets. Birds went to roost. By one o’clock in the afternoon, fear had turned into panic as the “premature nightfall” continued. Thousands crowded into churches to hear ministers expound on the Day of Judgment. In Hartford, Connecticut, both houses of the legislature were meeting, but one of them quickly dismissed since its members thought the world would end at any moment.1 If this was some of the reactions to a ‘premature sunset’, what do you think the reaction will be during the Great Tribulation when the sun is blackened for three days and there is no light? We are going to continue talking about the Tribulation in this podcast specifically, ‘Who Makes It Out of the Great Tribulation?’
[Tweet “The Battle of Armageddon ends with the Second Coming of Jesus.”]
The number 490 comes up in scripture in connection with Daniels End-Time timeline. What is the significance of that number to me as a believer in Jesus and how does it fit into Daniel chapter 9, the bedrock of Bible prophecy? That’s what we are going to take a look at in today’s blog.
[Tweet “Bible prophecy is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ.”]
Belgium is called “the cockpit of Europe” because it has been the site of more European battles than any other country—such as the battles of Oudernarde, Ramillies, Fontenoy, Fleurus, Jemmapes, Ligny, Waterloo, etc. The plain of Megiddo was also the scene of many decisive battles in Israel’s history. Here Gideon defeated Midian (Judg. 6:33). Here Saul died on Mount Gilboa (1 Sam. 31:1). Here Josiah was slain against Pharoah-Necho (2 Kg. 23:29, 30). Here also, battles have occurred between Egyptians and Assyrians, between Babylonians and Greeks, between Seleucids and Ptolemies, between Romans and Arabs, between Crusaders and Turks. Napoleon called this area “the world’s greatest natural battlefield” because of the ideal terrain for the world’s armies to maneuver. 1 It’s coming folks, the Battle of Armageddon. How to escape it. That’s what we are talking about on this week’s Light on Life.
[Tweet “The Battle of Armageddon ends with the Second Coming of Jesus.”]
Daniels seventy weeks is a framework for prophetic end-time events. Like so much of Bible prophecy, the term seventy weeks is in itself symbolic. Seventy weeks doesn’t mean four-hundred-ninety days but rather four-hundred-ninety-years. How do we really know that? In this blog post, we lay out scriptural proof to this end. Rest assured, the Bible speaks for itself. It proves itself out. You don’t need outside sources or a reliance on guesswork or men’s imaginations to grasp the intent of God’s Word.
[Tweet “The Lord never asks you to do something that you couldn’t do if you believe and trust Him.”]
At the close of World War II General Douglas MacArthur said: “We have had our last chance. If we do not now devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character… It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.”1 We get over into talking about Armaggedon when we talk about the ‘bowl’ judgments in Revelation because it is the last bowl judgment of the Tribulation. So, “Who Makes It Out the Tribulation?” – All this and more on this week’s Light on Life.
[Tweet “Mercifully, the Lord is giving people a taste of what’s to come, if they don’t repent.”]
Daniel chapter nine lays the groundwork for the chronology of End-Time events. But, this understanding came to Daniel after a season of prayer for his own people. When God answered Daniels intercession, He did so in an exceeding abundant fashion. The God who is more than enough gave Daniel way more than he asked for. That’s how He is. He is more than enough or we can say a ‘way too much’ God. And, He will do the same for you. In today’s post, we begin to look at Daniels. Seventy Year Prophecy which is the bedrock for understanding the timeline for End-Times.
[Tweet “This is God’s nature. He always goes above and beyond our requests – Eph. 3:20.”]
There’s no better verse on the subject of priorities than Matthew 6:33, Seek first the kingdom of God. Here are some quotes which echo the thought that priorities will help us to live spiritually successful lives.
Lewis Sperry Chafer, referring to a friend who was devoting most of his time and energy in pursuit of an insignificant matter, said, “He reminds me of a bulldog chasing a train: what’s he going to do with it if he catches it?” 1 When Charles E. Hummell was going into the ministry, a businessman gave him an excellent piece of advice. “Be careful that the urgent doesn’t crowd out the important.” 2 Put first things first and we get second things thrown in: Put second things first and we lose both first and second things. 3
Let’s take a look today, in this week’s Light on Life, at what God says our priorities should be when it comes to the Kingdom of God.
[Tweet “It is impossible to have loyal devotion to God and money “]